Energy

Never stop running…

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Yesterday I was running on the treadmill after work. It was a tough run. I was exhausted after my weekend, and I just wanted to crawl into bed. Yet, because I felt like I should keep at it and stay focused on what is important to me, I changed into my running clothes and got onto the treadmill. Why you might ask? Why do I push myself so hard, when maybe I should have changed into pajamas and snuggled onto the couch?

My answer would be dedication. If I gave in, than tomorrow it would be that much easier to give in, and the next day and the day after that. Yes, I definitely take days off from running, but they are few. Usually my off days are when my brain can barely utter a word, or I feel like complete ass, and can barely stay awake, otherwise my butt is dressed and ready to run, and usually…usually I am better for it. The run gets me out of myself, out of my day, what I still have left to do, and allows me to breathe in and out, and let it all go.

Running is my therapy. Some of you might already know, but I usually run on the treadmill and read books while I run. I read and enter the world of another individual’s life through a memoir, or the world of make-believe through a novel. It means 50 minutes to an hour a day that is not about what happened that day, or what is left on my to-do list, it is just about my feet going, the sweat dripping, and the characters that are spelled out before my eyes.

Yesterday though was tough. I was struggling to continue, I wanted to run upstairs and jump into a steaming hot bath, relax, and close my eyes. The thoughts that kept coming to me were: “This is hard.” “You have had a long day and weekend, just quit.” And then I realized, these are just thoughts. You are not a quitter. You are dedicated. You get on that treadmill each day because it inspires you, it feels good, and your thought is clear afterwards. Often you find that solutions to problems come to you when you run and you were not even focusing on them.

I hope I can continue my dedication to running as I grow older, when pregnant, with a newborn, and with aching knees, because it grounds me. It makes the world right. It invigorates, inspires, and fuels me. What fuels you?

Fight for it. Bring it.

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Over the weekend I was penciling in my calendar a friend’s art show coming up in June. I decided to check out the website of the gallery where her show will be held and found this show. What a clever idea, be sure to click the show link for a full image. I have included a bit of the text here as it is hard to read on the left side of the photo:

WHAT DO YOU FIGHT FOR? Whether it’s in a cage, for the rights of others, or just for her attention, we are all fighting for something

I fight for _______

It made me think about and ponder what I fight for. What does it mean to fight for something? Do the people or things you fight for have levels or degrees to how much effort you give? Do some people receive the tall or grande effort while others might get the venti or Big Gulp? If there are ranges, then are you really fighting for those that only receive the grande effort? This is the list that came to me: 

I fight for: my husband, my family and friends, women’s rights, literacy, children to eat healthy and be active on a daily basis, integrity, an hour a day to run (= sanity), fairness, equality…the list goes on.

However, I am not sure my list should go on. If I were being honest with myself, my husband would receive the infinite beverage size of my energy. Mess with my husband and you have to deal with me. Yes, he can completely take care of himself, and does not need me to get involved, but that does not mean that my competitive, fighting self will not lose all control against someone who tries to mess with my better half. So does that mean I do not think that childhood obesity is not worth fighting for? No. It is about the effort I give out. I would go to combat to fight for my husband, and while I am passionate about childhood obesity, it is not the same level of fight that I would have for Chris.

Have you thought about which things in your life you want to fight for? When the opportunity presents itself, do you really fight for them?

You Are Your Energy

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We each have a way we enter the room. You might be loud and vivacious. Someone else might be quiet, accessing the other individuals in the room and then slowly open up as they get to know others. Either is fine. It is who we are. We each are different, unique, individual. Have you ever thought about how you leave a room? Not the actual exit of a room, but what aura, vibe, or energy that you leave?

It is something I think about often. The other night I was at a restaurant with my sister, her boyfriend, and Chris. Our table happened to be near the bar, and the people waiting for a table were yelling at each other (a man and a woman) and it was immediately behind where I was sitting. It felt like they were yelling at me. At one moment the woman rested her arm on the back of my chair. It was annoying. The energy around me felt toxic. Chris at one moment leaned over to them and said: “My wife is not your armrest.” (Don’t you love Chris). I love when he is just so direct!

In any case, my story is meant to illustrate that the energy you have in a room impacts those around you. Your energy can also have the same effect online. On blogs, websites, Twitter, Facebook, etc. This is why I love what Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos) has created for how he Tweets. He follows what he calls: ICEE – which stands for:

  • Inspire
  • Communicate
  • Educate
  • Entertain

I love this concept. It is something I have tried to stick to with Random Olio. To communicate inspiration, at times entertain, and share ideas that may help others think in new ways. I also try to think about that at work, when I am out with people, and with family. Obviously, I am not perfect, but what an ideal to strive towards. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we each approached life with how we can inspire, educate, and entertain?

I am off to start my day with ICEE as my focus. Want to join me?

Obesity And Healthcare Costs

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Obesity and money. Two topics that can be taboo to talk about in our society. Yet they should not be. We should be able to talk about our financial future and our bodies, our health, or lack thereof. These past few years I have become hardcore about my health; what I eat and what I put into my body. I would also add that I have become adamant about what goes into my body via my mind too. I want Chris to make this print for the wall when you come in our front door:

“You are responsible for the energy you bring into this home.”

I think we are all responsible (or need to be) for what we allow into our thoughts, how we treat our bodies, and how we treat others. It all starts with respect. This article I read recently really opened my thought. It is not an article as much as it is an infographic on obesity and healthcare costs.

image from infographic

It is hard for me to even explain here, so you’ll have to click the above link to look at the charts and graphs of obesity costs. It shows me that we have our work cut out for us. How did this happen? How have we as a country become so obese? How has it become the fastest growing healthcare challenge? What are we going to do about it?

My hope is that we start by putting down our iPhones and computers. Actually bring the iPhone, I do not care, just get outside with it and start to move, and move, and move. And stop eating fast food, and processed foods, and preservatives. And start eating natural fruits and vegetables. And start caring about the energy that you bring into your home. This body has to serve us, it has to support us.

Do you think about the energy you bring into your day? Into your job? Your home? Your body?

Listening to Self + Words

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I had a rough weekend, spent mostly in bed or on the couch. Starting to feel a bit better, but still snuggled on the couch. So rather than share a recap of my not so great weekend, and since it is Monday, I thought I would share two Daily Om’s from last week hopefully as inspiration for your week.

As you might be able to tell from past blog posts, I am a strong supporter of women’s issues. I love finding ideas that promote the strength, poise, and talent of women. So when I came across this Daily Om from Monday, March 19, 2012 a smile grew on my face. In the past I have mentioned the Daily Om that I subscribe to daily (Here are two of my past Daily Om posts). Like any newsletter, there are days that it resonates with me more than others. This is the part of this Daily Om that I love:

“Even though we might want to think of a strong woman as being defined in this way, what really makes a woman confident is her capacity for listening to her true self and being able to call upon her feminine wisdom to any situation that may arise. A woman does not need to step into an assertive role or act like a man in order to be effective at what she does—she simply needs to get in touch with her insight and sense of compassion to truly demonstrate the depth of her strength.”

This is a great reminder for all women. Rock on feminine wisdom and intuition!

The second Daily Om I wanted to share is from March 22, 2012, called: “The Music of Language.” I love the following idea from this Daily Om:

“When we speak or write, we use the vehicles of words to carry meaning, as well as energy, from ourselves to another person or group of people. We may be speaking to our baby, our boss, or to an audience of 500 people. We may be writing a love letter, a work-related memo, or an entry in our own diary. Whatever the case, each word we speak or write has a life of its own, a vibratory signature that creates waves in the same way that a note of music creates waves. And like musical notes, our words live in communities of other words and change in relation to the words that surround them.”

We often forget that our words have energy and lives of their own. Our tone and how we deliver and communicate each word has an impact on those listening to us. Are we creating a story of positive, helpful, and uplifting communication? Or do our words bring others down?

I have a print idea (on my husband’s honey-do list) that I want to put in the entry way of our home: “You are responsible for the energy you bring into this home.”

So this week, women: listen to your true self. Women and all: watch for the energy behind the words you use!

Happy Monday!